Blues midfielder Emyr Huws has admitted there were times when he was questioning whether he would return to action during his lengthy spell out with a knee injury.
The Welshman underwent surgery after suffering the injury at Middlesbrough in December 2017 and missed the whole of the rest of that campaign. He made abortive attempts to return last season but didnt make a senior appearance before finally making it back into the first team in pre-season.
Since the season proper has started the 26-year-old has made seven starts and seven sub appearances, scoring once, and he says he feels better than ever.
"There were times for sure when I started to think ‘I might not make this’,” Huws said in an interview in this evening’s match programme.
"Looking back at the end of last season, I had one conversation where I was saying if I can’t get to a stage by this July that I needed to, where is the cut off point of banging the door? Of banging my head against the wall? It was a conversation about [whether] I carry on.
"I hardly had any time off in the summer though. I just trained and ran. From when we came back for pre-season, it’s been a gradual progression. There have been dips along the way but not now. It’s progressing but no dips now. It’s a big relief.
"I can’t see anything changing now for the rest of my career. I have never run as fast, I have never run as far. My power is there, stronger than before. It’s only going to get better as well. I’m only going to get stronger.
"It’s exciting for me. I’m excited about playing and what I can do. I’m excited about my football for the first time in a long time.”
Huws could start this evening's home game against Rotherham United.